Magnesium is a useful alternative to aluminum, steel or other structural materials in many applications. For example, magnesium may be used for structural parts in automotive applications. This is due, at least in part, to magnesium's relatively high strength-to-weight ratio as compared to aluminum. In some instances, a part made from magnesium may be joined to a part made from another metal and/or another metal may be used to join together two magnesium parts. In either case, the magnesium part(s) may be susceptible to corrosion at an interface formed between the magnesium and the other metal when, for example, the interface is exposed to corrosive environments.
Corrosion can occur at the interface between devices formed of dissimilar metals due to galvanic action. In general, at the interface between dissimilar metals, the metal with a more negative potential corrodes preferentially. By way of example, when a device formed of magnesium is in physical contact with a device or fastener formed of steel, the magnesium device corrodes near the interface. This corrosion can be compounded if the corrosive environment is a wet environment such as a vehicle undercarriage, engine compartment or closures (e.g., doors) that are regularly exposed to the surrounding environment.
A conventional approach to protecting against galvanic corrosion in metals is to provide electrical insulation between the two devices. But insulating materials are not readily employable in certain applications. Other conventional approaches involve coatings. However, coatings can be difficult to apply in some applications and may be prone to wearing away.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide corrosion protection for magnesium components of a vehicle. Also, it is desirable to provide corrosion protection that facilitates magnesium components being utilized in wet environments of a vehicle. Additionally, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.